Water-heater.



J. SGHLOSSBR.

WATER HEATER.

APPLIUATION FILED JULY2s,1e1o.

Patented Jan. 10,1911.

. Jlllllllll monNEY's TinTTnn sTaTns PATENT ernten.

JOHN SCHLOSSER, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

WATER-HEATER.

asien.

Application Ied July 28, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN Soi-mossen, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVilmington, county of Newcastle, State of Delaware, have invented a new and useful Tater-Heater, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an improved water heater' capable of use as a condenser or for similar purposes.

It further consists in an improved construction of such apparatus wherein the heating or cooling surfaces are of considerable area while occupying comparatively small space.

ft further consists of other novel features of construction, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention l have shown in the accompanying drawing one form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be varirusly arranged and organized and that my nvention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described. Figure 1 represents an axial section of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 represents a transverse section on the line maar Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents an axial section on an enlarged scale of one of the double heating or condensing tubes.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings, a cylindrical or other shaped casing or drum 1, has its upper end closed by a cover, 2, in which may be secured a safety valve, 3. The lower end of the drum is closed by a tube-sheet, 4, which is clamped between a flange, 5, around said end and a flange, 6, upon the upper edge of a cylindrical or other shaped outlet chamber, 7 the lower edge of which has a flange, 8. A tube-sheet, 9, is clamped between said flange anda flange, 10, at the upper edge of a flaring or inverted conical head, 11, at the apex of which an inlet, 12, is provided. A deflecting or baHie-plate, 13, is supported within the inlet chamber formed by said head and above the inlet opening, to laterally divert the iiuid entering the inlet of the head. The chamber be- Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Serial No. 574,407.

tween the tube-sheets has an outlet, 14, in one side. An annular passage, 15, is formed by an annular casing which surrounds the upper portion of the drum, being in the illustrated instance a cored integral portion of the drinn, and communicates with the interior of the drum through openings, 1G. The passage has a neck, 17, providing an inlet connection to the same. A discharge opening, 18, is provided at the bottom of the casing, above the upper tubesheet. Tubes, 19, are vertically arranged within the drum and extend through nearly the entire height of the same, to form a cylindrical group or body of spaced returnflow heat-absorbing tubes, and said tubes have closed upper ends and have their lower ends threaded or otherwise connected through the upper tube-sheet 4. Tubes, 20, of smaller diameter than the outer tubes are arranged to extend axially and concentrically thro-ugh the outer tubes to form annular passages and the lower ends of said inner, small-diameter tubes are threaded or otherwise co-nnected into the lower tubesheet 9 and their upper ends have restricted openings, 21. Stay-bolts, 22, space the tubesheets.

While the apparatus is applicable to a number of uses where it is desired to abstract heat from one fluid and communicate such heat to another fluid, the disclosure in the drawings illustrates such apparatus employed as a water-heater, and particularly as a feed water heater, utilizing exhaust steam. Said steam passes into the drum through the upper inlet 17 and the annular passage 15 and its openings 16, and the water of condensation passes out through the outlet 18 at the bottom of the drum. The water to be heated enters through the inlet 12 in the head and is deflected and distributed by the baffle-plate, and passes up through the small upright tubes, flowing out at the upper ends of the same into the spaces between the latter and the outer tubes and down to the chamber between the tube-sheets,

whence it ma be drawn throuo'h the outletV of fluids may thus be accomplished by admitting the same into the drum and introducing a cooling agent through the head and tubes, like the condensing function of the feed water upon the exhaust steam, just described. The cooling agent may,however, be introduced into the drum and the fluid to be cooled may be introduced through the head and tubes. In either instance, comparatively large surfaces are presented between the fluid of higher temperature and that of lower temperature, and small volumes, only, are presented at one time to the heat absorbing surfaces.

The steam entering the drum at points all around the periphery of the same and issuing in radial streams into the interior of the drum, will be equally and thoroughly distributed to the heat-absorbing return-flow tubes, so that the fluid passing up through the inner tubes and returning in thin, tubular streams through the spaces between the inner and outer tubes, may be fully exposed and absorb the greatest amount of heat possible. The upper ends of the tubes being free and unsupported, and the inner tubes being out of contact with the outer tubes will permit said tubes to expand and contract under varying temperatures without hindrance to such expansion and contraction. The flow of the fluid through the contracted or restricted openings in the inner tubes being retarded by such restrictions, will allow of comparatively slow passage of such fluid through the heat-absorbing tubes, s0 that the fluid will be exposed to the heat for a considerable period. While I have disclosed the restrictions in the upper ends of the inner tubes, such restrictions may be provided at other' portions of the tubes wherever they may retard the flow. The hot fluid may be introduced through the tubes Y and the fluid intended to absorb the heat from said hot fluid may be introduced into the drum. The apparatus may thus be employed as a feed water heater, a distiller, an

' ployed as inlet-chamber and inlet, and the inlet-chamber and its inlet be employed as outlet-chamber and outlet. The restriction of the flow through the return-flow tubes may be accomplished by corrugating either or both tubes or by arranging a spiral flange between the outer and inner tube.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction of a water heater which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description, and while I have, in the present instance, shown and described a preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification in various particulars without kdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In apparatus of the character stated, a drum having an outlet at its lower end, an annular casing surrounding the upper portion of said drum and having an inlet and provided with a series of ports opening into the drum, an outlet chamber at the lower end of said drum and provided with an outlet, an upper tube-sheet separating the drum and chamber, a lower tube-sheet at the bottom of the chamber, tubes closed at one end and secured with their open ends in the upper tube-sheet, tubes axially arranged within said tubes and having open ends and their lower ends secured in the lower tube-sheet, an inverted truncate inlet-chamber below the lower tube-sheet and formed with an inlet at its apex, and an imperforate bailleplate supported above said inlet.

2. In apparatus of the character stated, a drum having a closed upper end and an outlet at its lower end and formed with an annular channel around its upper portion having an inlet and communicating through an' annular series of openings with the interior of the drum, a tube-sheet closing the lower end of the drum, a chamber below said sheet and having an outlet, a tube sheet closing the lower end of said chamber, a truncate conical head below said sheet and having an inlet at its inverted apex, a baffle-plate above said inlet, tubes secured with their open lower ends through the upper drum sheet and having closed upper ends, and tubes secured with their open lower ends through the lower drum sheet and axially extending through the former tubes and having restricted openings in their upper ends.

JOHN SCI-ILOSSER.

l/Vitnesses l DAVID GIBSON, J. I-IARvEY Woon. 

